During the weekend, you're going to be doing a lot of hiking, running, and fighting, so your activity level is likely to be much higher than you're used to. To make sure you’re able to enjoy all that activity, it's important to stay well-fed and hydrated during your Dystopia Rising event. Remember these important safety tips:

Drink Water. Dehydration can cause exhaustion and pain(among other things), which will really interfere with your weekend experience. It's also important to drink water, not just soft drinks. Most non-water beverages are diuretic, which means you aren’t getting as much water as you think you are.

Eat real food. Snack foods like candy and chips can lack the necessary nutrients to compensate for your increased activity levels during the weekend. Make sure you’re eating fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins to maintain your energy levels throughout the entire weekend. Raw fruits, veggies and trail mix are quick, portable foods, as is cheese and jerky.

Eat healthy food. Make sure your body is getting all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to stay healthy. If you can’t get fresh fruit and veggies into your face, then consider a multi-vitamin. Zinc (found in nuts and seeds) is important for preventing colds and other gamer plagues. Potassium helps prevent muscle cramps. Good sources of potassium include bananas, bell peppers, apricots, and papaya. Dried apricots and papaya can be added to your trail mix, along with raisins (for extra energy) and Brazil nuts (for added protein), to get your energy up quickly between horde attacks without sugar crash.

Eat regularly. Skipping meals is very hard on the body. Though you’ll be on the run a fair bit during the weekend, try to make sure to eat regularly. Even smaller, more frequent meals are better than skipping meals outright.

Genre Appropriate Food

At Dystopia Rising, we've worked very hard to create a grim setting and we continue to work hard to maintain your immersion in the world for the whole weekend. That immersion can be ruined very quickly, and modern food packages are one of the most common offenders. Here's some tips on how to enjoy your meal while keeping everyone’s immersion intact:

Several generations have passed since the Fall. Pre-packaged, pre-Fall food is very rare. Try not to eat foods that look very modern or processed (Doritos, Pop Tarts), and at the very least, try not to eat anything directly out of the bag or package. Cans should have the labels torn off.

Consider your character's background when choosing genre-appropriate food. Is he a proud Natural One Hunter? Then it's likely he'd be eating food he hunted down and killed with his bare hands. Is he a foppish wealthy Pure Blood with Deep Pockets? It's more likely he might be able to afford “old world delicacies” (such as canned foods, sodas, and other rarities.)

Try to place any food or drink into a genre-appropriate container when eating it. Wood and steel bowls (especially if dented) are the sort of thing that might survive the apocalypse.

Consider what's available in the world. The global market of the modern age is gone: farmers, hunters, scavengers, and fishmongers provide the town almost all the food they have available. Exotic ingredients and spices that we take for granted may not exist in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Keep your cabins clean! Nothing is more disruptive than modern cans and candy wrappers strewn about a person's sleeping area. Clean it up and hide the evidence, and everybody will have a better experience.